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Image processing method, recording medium, and image processing apparatus

a recording medium and image processing technology, applied in the field of image processing methods, can solve the problems of enhancement of noise existing in a flat portion other than the edge region, and noise concentrated at a low-luminance portion cannot be effectively eliminated, so as to achieve the effect of intensive elimination of noise, without enhancing noise in a flat portion, and changing the intensity of smoothing

Inactive Publication Date: 2007-04-03
SEIKO EPSON CORP
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]An object of the present invention is to provides an image processing method, a recording medium, and an image processing apparatus, which change smoothing intensity in accordance with the intensity of a predetermined color component contained in electronic data constituting an input image, to thereby intensively eliminate noise, without enhancing noise in a flat portion.
[0008]By means of an image processing method, a recording medium, and an image processing apparatus according to the present invention, smoothing intensity to be used for smoothing the electronic data is computed from the intensity of a predetermined color component output from a pixel of interest from among a plurality of pixels constituting an image input by way of the input unit and from the intensity of predetermined color components output from surrounding pixels constituting a matrix centered on the pixel of interest. The smoothing intensity is set on the basis of a relationship between the intensity of a predetermined color component and the frequency of noise. When the intensity of a predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is high, a rate at which the intensity of the predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is to be distributed to surrounding pixels constituting the matrix is set to a large value. Further, when the intensity of the predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is low, the rate at which the intensity of the predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is to be distributed to surrounding pixels constituting the matrix is set to a small value. For example, smoothing intensity can be changed in accordance with brightness by means of computing the luminance of the electronic data pertaining to an image input from a predetermined color component, and computing smoothing intensity from the luminance. Consequently, noise dependent on the luminance component can be effectively eliminated by means of intensively smoothing a luminance region involving a high distribution of noise and less-intensively smoothing a luminance region involving a low distribution of noise.
[0009]Smoothing intensity can be computed not only from luminance but from the intensity of a predetermined color component, such as the intensity of a monochromatic component or a sum of intensities of a plurality of color components. Consequently, the smoothing intensity can be changed in accordance with the intensity of a predetermined color component, thereby obviating noise intensively from an image area involving conspicuous noise.
[0011]In addition, filter information may be prepared from computed smoothing intensity. On the basis of the thus-prepared file information, electronic data are smoothed. The filter information is prepared in accordance with the thus-computed smoothing intensity each time. For this reason, optimal filter information corresponding to the intensity of a predetermined color component can be prepared. Consequently, noise can be obviated more effectively from an area involving conspicuous noise, without enhancing noise included in a flat section.

Problems solved by technology

Consequently, noise concentrated at a low-luminance portion cannot be eliminated effectively.
Even in the case of a method of eliminating noise in accordance with edge information, there also arises a problem of enhancement of noise existing in a flat portion other than the edge regions.

Method used

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  • Image processing method, recording medium, and image processing apparatus
  • Image processing method, recording medium, and image processing apparatus

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first embodiment

[0023]FIG. 2 shows a digital camera 1 to which an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment is applied.

[0024]As shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera 1 comprises a control section 10, an image input unit 20, a recording section 30, a display section 40, and an interface 50.

[0025]The control section 10 is an electrical circuit for processing electronic data output from the image input unit 20. The control section 10 includes a CPU (central processing unit) 11, ROM (read only memory) 12, and a processing circuit 60. A computer program to be executed by the CPU 11 of the control section 10 and by the processing circuit 60 is recorded in the ROM 12.

[0026]As shown in FIG. 3, the processing circuit 60 comprises separation unit 61, color intensity computation unit 62, a filter information selection unit 63, a smoothing unit 64, and a writing unit 65.

[0027]As shown in FIG. 2, the control section 10 is connected to an input unit for receiving an instruction entered by a user. ...

second embodiment

[0069]FIG. 9 shows a processing circuit 9 of a digital camera according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and processing procedures are shown in FIG. 10. Explanations of those structural areas and procedures which are substantially the same as those described in connection with the first embodiment are omitted.

[0070]The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that filter information is prepared each time the luminance component Y is computed.

[0071]As shown in FIG. 9, the processing circuit 90 of the digital camera according to the second embodiment includes a separation unit 91, a color intensity computation unit 92, a filter information preparation unit 93, a smoothing unit 94, and a writing unit 95.

[0072]The separation unit 91 and the color intensity computation unit 92 are the same as those described in connection with the first embodiment. The filter information preparation unit 93 computes the smoothing intensity σ from the luminance component Y co...

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Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes: an image input unit into which image information is input and which can output the image information as electronic data; and an intensity computation unit for computing smoothing intensity for smoothing the electronic data, from the intensity of a predetermined color component included in the electronic data output from the image input unit. The smoothing intensity is set on the basis of a relationship between the intensity of a predetermined color component and the frequency of noise. When the intensity of a predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is high, a rate at which the intensity of the predetermined color component output from the pixel of interest is to be distributed to surrounding pixels constituting the matrix is set to a large value. When the intensity of the predetermined color component is low, the rate is set to a small value.

Description

[0001]This is a continuation of Application No. PCT / JP01 / 05914 with an international filing date of Jul. 6, 2001, which was published under PCT Article 21 (2) in Japanese, and the complete disclosure of which is incorporated into this application by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to an image processing method, a recording medium, and an image processing apparatus, which smooth electronic data pertaining to an input image and eliminate noise.[0003]In the case of an image input device such as a digital still camera (hereinafter simply called a “digital camera”) utilizing an image input element; e.g., a CCD, the image input element outputs an undesired electrical signal as well as an electrical signal corresponding to the amount of received light. As a result, the thus-output undesired electrical signal is included, as noise, in electronic data constituting an image. Noise tends to appear noticeably in a portion of the electrical signal having ...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): G06F15/00G06K15/00G06K9/40G06T5/00
CPCG06T5/20G06T2207/10024G06T2207/20012G06T5/70
Inventor HIROSHIGE, AKIRANAKAMI, YOSHIHIRO
Owner SEIKO EPSON CORP